Most clubs communicate with their members through one channel: a weekly email blast sent to everyone. The problem is that not every member golfs, not every member dines at the club, and not every member cares about the junior swim team schedule. When members receive messages that aren't relevant to them, they stop paying attention — and eventually, they stop engaging altogether.
Text messaging combined with smart segmentation solves this. By organizing members into interest-based groups and sending targeted, relevant messages, you keep every member connected to the parts of the club they care about most.
Why Segmented Communication Matters
The data is clear: 52% of non-renewing members cite lack of engagement as the primary reason they leave. But "lack of engagement" doesn't mean you weren't communicating — it means you weren't communicating about the right things, to the right people, at the right time.
The difference:
- Unsegmented: One blast to 500 members about this weekend's golf tournament. The 300 non-golfers ignore it. The golfers assume all your messages are for them already.
- Segmented: Golf tournament details go to the Golf group. A dining special goes to the Dining group. A family event goes to the Family group. Every member receives relevant content and feels like the club knows them.
Building Your Group Strategy
Interest-Based Groups
Create contact groups that match your club's primary activities and amenities.
| Group | Who Belongs | Message Types |
|---|---|---|
| Golf members | members who golf regularly or hold golf privileges | Tee time availability, course conditions, tournaments, pro tips |
| Tennis members | members who play tennis or hold court privileges | Court schedules, clinics, round-robins, league updates |
| Swimming/Pool | members who use the pool or aquatics programs | Pool hours, swim team, lessons, pool events |
| Dining members | members who dine at the club regularly | Specials, themed nights, chef's table, wine dinners |
| Social members | members interested in social programming | Mixers, parties, holiday events, live entertainment |
| Family members | members with children using family programming | Kids camps, family events, junior programs |
| Fitness | members who use the gym or fitness classes | Class schedules, trainer availability, challenges |
Membership Tier Groups
| Group | Who Belongs |
|---|---|
| Full / Equity members | Full-privilege members |
| Social Members | Social-only membership tier |
| Junior members | members under 40 (or your club's junior threshold) |
| Legacy / Senior members | Long-tenured or senior-rate members |
Using Dynamic Groups
Dynamic Groups update automatically based on contact field values. If you track each member's primary activity or membership tier in a contact field, dynamic groups keep your segments current without manual maintenance.
Example: Create a Dynamic Group called "Golf members" that includes any member where the "Primary Activity" field contains "Golf." When a new member selects golf as their interest during onboarding, they automatically appear in the group.
Letting members Self-Segment
The easiest way to build accurate interest groups is to let members choose for themselves using keywords.
Self-Segmentation Keywords
| Keyword | Group | Auto-Reply |
|---|---|---|
| GOLF | Golf members | You're signed up for golf updates — tee times, tournaments, and course conditions. |
| TENNIS | Tennis members | You'll receive tennis updates — court schedules, clinics, and match results. |
| SWIM | Swimming/Pool | You're on the pool list — hours, events, and swim team updates. |
| DINING | Dining members | Dining updates coming your way — specials, events, and reservation reminders. |
| SOCIAL | Social members | You'll get social event invites — mixers, parties, and entertainment. |
| FAMILY | Family members | Family updates on the way — kids programs, camps, and family events. |
Promotion example:
{first_name}, want updates tailored to your interests? Text any of the following to [your number]: GOLF, TENNIS, SWIM, DINING, SOCIAL, or FAMILY. You can sign up for as many as you like!
Send this message during onboarding (Day 21) and repeat it quarterly to capture new interests.
Sample Messages by Segment
Golf members
{first_name}, the course is in fantastic shape this week. Saturday morning tee times are filling up — book yours: [link]
Course advisory: Aeration begins Monday on the back nine. Front nine and practice facilities remain open. Full schedule: [link]
Congrats to this week's tournament winners! Full results and photos: [link]. Next tournament: member-Guest on August 9th. Text TOURNEY to register.
Tennis members
Good morning! Courts 1-4 are open for walk-on play today. Reserve a court online: [link]
Tennis clinic with Coach [Name] this Thursday at 10 AM. All levels welcome. Reply YES to reserve your spot.
Round-robin results are in! Check standings: [link]. Next league night is Wednesday at 6 PM.
Dining members
{first_name}, tonight's dinner special: pan-seared Chilean sea bass with roasted vegetables. members-only pricing: $28. Reservations: [link]
Chef's Table dinner this Saturday — a 5-course Italian tasting menu paired with wines from Tuscany. Limited to 20 guests. Reserve: [link]
Reminder: Sunday brunch service runs 10 AM - 2 PM. This week features a carving station and live music on the terrace.
Social members
{first_name}, Friday Night Trivia is back! Teams of up to 6. Starts at 7 PM in the lounge. Walk-ins welcome, but tables go fast.
Live music this Saturday: [Artist Name] on the veranda from 7-10 PM. Complimentary appetizers for members during the first hour.
Save the date: The Holiday Gala is December 14th. Cocktails at 6 PM, dinner at 7 PM. Invitations go out next week.
Family members
Family Movie Night is this Friday at dusk on the lawn. This week: [Movie Title]. Bring blankets — popcorn and drinks are on us!
Summer Junior Camp registration opens Monday. Weeks fill up fast — register early: [link]
{first_name}, the Kids Halloween Party is October 26th, 2-5 PM. Costumes encouraged! Trick-or-treating, games, and prizes. RSVP: [link]
Activity-Based Engagement Campaigns
member Spotlights
Highlight active members to build community and recognition.
member Spotlight: Congratulations to
{first_name}on shooting a personal-best 78 last weekend! Great playing.
This month's member spotlight features the [Family Name] family. Read their story: [link]
Satisfaction Surveys
Use Surveys to gather segment-specific feedback.
{first_name}, quick question about our dining program. How would you rate the food quality this month? Reply 1-5.
Tennis members: Would you prefer more weekday evening clinics or weekend morning clinics? Reply EVENING or MORNING.
{first_name}, how would you rate your overall club experience this quarter? Reply 1-5. Your feedback shapes our programming.
Seasonal Engagement
Match your messaging cadence to the club's seasonal rhythm.
{first_name}, pool season opens May 25th! Hours: 10 AM - 8 PM daily. New this year: adult lap swim from 6-8 AM. Full schedule: [link]
Winter is coming, but the club isn't slowing down. Check out our fall and winter event calendar: [link]
Recommended Setup
- Create interest-based groups — Set up groups for each activity in Contacts & Groups.
- Set up self-segmentation keywords — Create a keyword for each interest group (GOLF, TENNIS, DINING, etc.).
- Add Dynamic Groups for tiers — Use Dynamic Groups based on membership tier contact fields.
- Send the self-segmentation prompt — Ask existing members to text their interests. Include this in your onboarding sequence for new members.
- Build a content calendar — Plan segment-specific messages weekly (activity updates), monthly (spotlights, surveys), and seasonally (programming announcements).
- Run quarterly surveys — Use Surveys within each segment to gather targeted feedback and adjust programming.
Tips & Best Practices
- Segment before you send. Every message should go to a specific group, not "All members." The only exception is urgent facility-wide announcements (weather closures, emergency notices).
- Let members opt into multiple groups. A member who golfs and dines should be in both the Golf and Dining groups. Keywords make this self-service.
- Match frequency to content type. Golf course conditions can be daily. Dining specials are 2-3 times per week. Social events are 1-2 times per week. Adjust based on what your members respond to.
- Use surveys to discover new interests. members' interests evolve. A quarterly check-in ("What are you most interested in this season?") keeps your segments current.
- Keep groups manageable. Start with 5-7 interest groups. You can always add more as you learn what your members want. Too many groups from the start creates maintenance overhead.
- Track engagement by group. Monitor which groups have the highest response rates and which are going quiet. Low engagement in a group may mean the content isn't resonating or the cadence is off.
Common Questions
How do I get existing members into the right groups?
Send a one-time message to your full list asking members to text keywords for their interests. You can also pre-segment based on data you already have — members with golf handicaps go in the Golf group, members with dining reservations go in the Dining group, and so on.
Can a member be in multiple groups?
Yes. members can belong to as many groups as they want. Each keyword opt-in adds them to the corresponding group without removing them from others. They receive messages from every group they belong to.
How do I avoid over-messaging members who are in many groups?
A member in five groups could receive five messages in a single day during a busy week. Be mindful of total message volume. Stagger your sends across different days and check the overall cadence any individual member is experiencing, especially those in multiple groups.
Related
- Contacts & Groups — Create and manage member groups
- Dynamic Groups — Automate group membership based on contact data
- Keywords — Set up self-segmentation keywords
- Surveys — Collect segment-specific feedback
- Contact Fields — Track member interests and activities
- Event Management — Promote events to the right groups
- member Retention — Engagement-driven retention strategies
- clubs & Membership Organizations — Full club use case guide